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SSG Frequently Asked Questions

The Student Sustainability Grant helps fund student projects to help make the USU student body more environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. It’s a student-led campaign that gives every student on the Logan campus the opportunity to implement a sustainability project. Funding is available each semester for projects which impact energy use, waste, water use, green building, environmental education or other environmental considerations.All USU undergraduate and graduate students on the Logan campus can apply for a grant. Proposals can be made by individuals or student teams; cross-disciplinary teams and projects are strongly encouraged.

All sorts! Projects implemented by students in the past include the TSC bike racks, the Little Blue Goes Greenhouse at Edith Bowen, water bottle filling stations across campus, a solar algal drier research project to produce biofuels, and psychological studies examining green behavior. priority is given to those projects that have the biggest impact on student life at USU. We love to see a wide variety of proposals, so get creative.

If you have an idea for promoting sustainability, the SSG grant is a great way to get the support and structure needed to make it a reality. In addition to helping the environment, writing a grant proposal and going through an approval process is a great way to get experience and looks good on a resume.

If you want to be involved in the SSG grant process but don’t want to submit your own proposal, there are a lot of ways to help. Many proposals are submitted by groups, so you can see if any friends or other students want to team up to come up with an idea. You can also ask your academic senator to choose you for the Grant Committee, and help decide which projects to fund.

The SSG grant program is supported by the Blue Goes Green Fee, a $0.25/credit hour fee paid by all USU students. This fee was approved during the 2011 ASUSU elections after a campus-wide campaign, to help address sustainability issues at USU.

Student Sustainability Office Large Grant proposals are accepted November 1st, and mini-grants are accepted from October 1 - April 1. A few weeks after the deadline, funding is decided on a case-by-case basis.

The overall SSG process is run by the Student Sustainability Office on campus. All funding decisions for student projects are made by the SSG Student Grant Committee. This committee is made up of

Program coordinator/director of Student Sustainability Office

ENVS Sustainable Communities Extension Specialist

Sustainability Council Chair

Two faculty/staff members appointed by the Sustainability Council Chair

Eight student members-one from each of the eight colleges selected by that college’s academic senator

Three Student Sustainability Office interns

The group meets once a semester to review student presentations and vote on which proposals to fund. Preference is given to projects that demonstrate the greatest reduction in USU’s environmental impact for the least cost.

To apply for a grant, first come up with a solid idea to promote sustainability on campus. Students must collaborate with faculty and/or staff and choose a project advisor prior to submitting an application. Completed applications need to be submitted before the due date to the Student Sustainability Office at sso@usu.edu. Proposals need the following components:

Cover Page

Proposal Description

Budget

Optional Components: Letters of Support, Other Supporting Materials

After submitting a proposal, you will present your idea to the BGG Student Grant Committee, which votes on which proposals to fund.

For more information on the SSG Grant process or help putting together a proposal, contact the Student Sustainability Office at sso@usu.edu. Come to an Idea Lab Tuesdays 11-1pm in TSC 302A or email, heatherandreawilkinson@gmail.com.